Life with Anny

This week my daughter turned seven. She wanted to dress like a princess with her friends and go to a drive in so everyone can see how awesome she is. That is what she does. She has many hats and the one thing they all have in common is that they make you look twice. I can guarantee I will never hear her say "I don't want to wear that because it draws attention to me".

I would like to share a little insight on life with Anny by telling about the velcro issue. Most kids shoes, wallets and toys employ velcro in some way or another. The word velcro (although a brand name for hook and loop fastener) is a part of our vernacular. At one point, several years ago, Anny thought it would be funny to pronounce it vaw-crow. As parents, we get in the habit of correcting toddlers when they pronounce words wrong. Anny has always insisted on saying vaw-crow, even inventing an alternate spelling (vahcro). Over the past few years, that pronunciation has been one of her longest running gags. I like watching the way she can deliver the argument straight faced, almost convincing you she believes she's right. That gag resurfaces when we least expect it and always makes me smile. Last month we were going to the park in my car to ride bikes, Anny was sitting in the back seat with her helmet. Out of the blue she said, "Dad, the people who made my helmet don't know how to spell, they spelled vaw-crow, V-E-L-C-R-O, what do you think is wrong with them?" She caught me off guard with that, my girl is growing up.